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The front of this homestyle Italian spot is a typical slice counter peddling pieces of crackly thin pies (fresh mozzarella is a good bet). But it’s worth sitting in back for the full experience: One wall is covered with a mural so vibrant it verges on lurid, and depending on the season it may clash cheerfully with holiday decorations. Service is straight down to business, but that’s okay, because the food comes out quickly, portions are huge, and most things are astoundingly cheap. It tastes pretty good too, as long as you aren’t looking for the veal-stock-bone-marrow-simmered style of Italian that’s popular these days. Antipasto salad is an artfully styled heap of crisp lettuce ringed by tomatoes, salami, and rectangles of cheese, with an inner ring of anchovies – it could feed several as a main course. Linguine vongole proves a pile of al dente noodles in a briny broth, studded with canned clams, and chicken franchese swims in its own broth, of butter. This isn’t a place for the calorie-conscious, but the cost-conscious will be thrilled when the bill arrives.
— Jenny Miller